Advisory of the Day

STEPHENVILLE, NL: BWA CAUSED BY REPLACEMENT OF AGED INFRASTRUCTURE

The Town of Stephenville issued a boil water advisory (BWA) on August 9 due to major construction that will replace aged infrastructure and improve stormwater drainage in some parts of town.

Stephenville has a population of 6623 and is located in Bay St. George. It acts as the service centre for the southwest part of island and is home to Cabox in the Lewis Hills, the highest geographical point on the island.

The BWA affected many areas of town including Johnson Carmen Place, Hillcrest Avenue, Centre Place, King Street, Maple Street, and Hillview from St. Clare to Atlantic Avenue.

The major infrastructure project is being realized through funding by Municipal Capital Works, a 80/20 percent cost share between the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador and municipalities to improve municipal infrastructure throughout the province.

During construction, the main distribution system had to be shut off but residents were able to obtain water through a temporary line and so a BWA was issued. The town will be back on the main system on Monday.

Marine Contractors, the company doing the work, advised that St. Clare and Hillview Avenues could expect "occasional discolouration in the water due to ongoing maintenance on the waterlines in the area."

Director of Municipal Services for the Town of Stephenville Ted Gracie explained that in order to provide storm water draining in the older parts of town the street had to be dug up.

When asked whether the lack of storm drainage had caused flooding in the past, he said "traditionally during a heavy rainfall event that was out of the norm, some of the existing drainage system would become overwhelmed because all the water would gather into one area and try to get into the storm system."

In Newfoundland and Labrador, the Department of Government Services and the Department of Health and Community Services are jointly responsible for monitoring the bacteriological quality of public water supplies in the province.

Once construction is complete, Gracie said "all the infrastructure will be swabbed, super chlorinated, then flushed and then put into service and then they’ll start testing."

The BWA will be revoked once two samples indicate good water quality within twenty-four hours of each other. Until then residents should continue to bring water to a rolling boil for at least one minute before consumption.

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